Imagine getting up early in the morning for your daily run, and as you set on your mark towards the park for your walk or jog, your vision suddenly gets blurry and you collapse on the road (or maybe roadside). And when you come to your senses, you are in a hospital with no recollection of the past three hours or so.
Well, such kind of openings are great for movies and novels, however, speaking realistically, it doesn’t sound the least interesting right?
But what if I were to say, that the next victim with such a morning start can be you. That’s right, it can happen.
More than 500 people in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have been hospitalized this month by a mysterious illness. A person even died during treatment after suffering a fall.
Those who have been affected by this mysterious disease have seizures or vomit and have a sudden loss of consciousness. Many reported muscle pain in the back or neck as well, along with the temporal loss of memory. Several patients also had psychological trauma.
What Could Be The Cause Of This Mysterious Disease?
The origin of the outbreak was first recorded in the city of Eluru. The cause of the disease is still unknown.
According to the preliminary medical reports, this mystery disease has nothing to do with the coronavirus which has put many into a dilemma, ringing the alarm about some kind of new possible outbreak. After all, wasn’t COVID-19 enough?
Himanshu Shukla, a high-ranking district official, said that this (disease) is a case of acute intoxication of toxins and is not chronic.
With the nature and cause of this disease veiled in mystery, the local health officials, along with the natives of the city, have started to test water, milk, vegetables and fish samples to get a clue on the possible source.
Even teams of molecular biologists, virologists and nutritionists from the World Health Organization are trying to find the root of the cause.
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Perhaps Footsteps Of Another Pandemic?
Lead and nickel, among other toxins, have been found in the blood samples of the patients. However, it’s unclear as to how they got there in the first place.
Organochlorine, found in pesticides, was found in the tested samples in the water sources of the city.
Heavy metal build-up in the body can have a neurotoxic effect on the human body, yet the source of the disease is still unclear.
The first batch of patients arrived at the Eluru government hospital on Saturday evening. And since then, the numbers had only grown.
A.V.R. Mohan, the medical superintendent of the Eluru government hospital, said that there isn’t any need for uproar or panic as most patients recover within a day.
Even though, on Wednesday, 9 December 2020, 16 new patients were admitted to the hospital with the same series of symptoms.
To control and detect new patients, the district administration of the city has set up about 80 medical camps in the area.
Although this mystery illness is being treated as a possible epidemic, many believe that this mystery disease could be related to the coronavirus pandemic. A possible cousin maybe?
Even the recovered patients are on their toes and refuse to take any chances. Many have stopped drinking the water supplied by the municipality too. With coronavirus still raging out there, this new mysterious disease might be the last thing we need.
After all, the last time we checked something mysterious, the outlook didn’t come out good. Because that’s how we got the COVID-19 pandemic.
Image Credits: Google Images, Unsplash
Sources: The Scientist, The Washington Post, Times of India
Find the blogger at: @sejalsejals38
This post is tagged under: pandemic, COVID-19, coronavirus caller tune, government guidelines for covid, Eluru Virus, global pandemic, history repeats itself, prevention of covid, covid-19 guidelines, awareness against the pandemic, government guidelines, covid vaccine, Eluru mysterious disease, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, how did this mystery disease spread in Eluru, Eluru epidemic
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